Director Kabir Khan, who cast Salman Khan as a RAW agent in "Ek Tha Tiger", says the actor is apt to become India's James Bond.

"Salman, I think, has the charisma and the sheer presence that a Bond needs," the 41-year-old said at the premiere of latest 007 movie Skyfall in Mumbai.

"You look at him, he is strong, silent. But you know when he, sort of, goes into action, there is going to be a lot of thrill," he added.

Kabir said: "When I was making Ek Tha Tiger, I was conscious that we didn't want to do a Bond because I feel that there is a difference between Hindi films and Hollywood films.

"In our films, even in love stories, our heroes are James Bond, so there has to be a differentiator."

However, Kabir did incorporate a few aspects of Bond movies.

"We stayed away from the sort of Bond style of presenting an agent. Yes, the action we took, a lot of effort was taken to make it international and it was probably very similar to the kind of action that you see nowadays in the new Bond films, more realistic," he said.

Times of India story published on Nov 1, 2012,

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